17 Food, Grocery and Cooking Apps That Will Change Your Life

Diet-Specific

If you have specific nutritional needs, it’s easy to feel like your options are limited. But there’s a whole category of apps designed to help people (and families) with special diets get a delicious dinner on the table. Whether you’re eliminating dairy, vegetarian, gluten-free, or dealing with nuts or other allergens, you can still find exciting, enticing recipes and adapt them to suit your lifestyle.

Kitchology
This app helps you manage food restrictions by filtering out certain ingredients. Once you’ve set up your profile, use Kitchology’s curated recipe channels — you’ll only see dishes that match your requirements. Each recipe’s ingredients can be added to an in-app shopping list; future updates will support finding ingredient substitutions to broaden the recipes available.
 

ipiit
The next time you’re wandering down an aisle in the grocery store, don’t just wonder if an item is safe to eat —scan it. ipiit reads barcodes and will quickly let you know if a product is safe to eat or should be avoided based on your personal needs and preferences. There are more than 300,000 different items currently in ipiit’s database, and you can scan multiple products to perform a side-by-side comparison.
 

Substitutions
Whether you need to avoid an ingredient due to an allergy or sensitivity, or simply don’t stock buttermilk as a kitchen staple, sooner or later you’re going to need to make a substitution. Rather than combing through pages of recommendations and conflicting advice, consult Substitutions. There are lists for those with special dietary needs, and you can either do a simple search or comb through categories to find measurements and formulas for making simple swaps. (Try ½ cup milk and ½ cup plain yogurt instead of 1 cup of buttermilk, FYI.)

Fooducate
This app helps you determine what to eat — and why. Enter your goals, dietary needs, and any health conditions (high cholesterol, vegan) — then import exercise data from your other apps and fitness trackers to get a total-body picture of your fitness plan. Fooducate analyzes nutrition information and ingredient lists to uncover potential dietary pitfalls (added sugar, trans fats) and can track calories and workouts, offer suggestions, and help you make healthier choices so you see results.

Green Kitchen
This treasure trove of vegetarian recipes isn’t just for herbivores. Focusing on food made with minimal sugar, gluten, or dairy products, Green Kitchen is perfect for anyone who wants to add more leaves, shoots, sprouts, and roots to their diet. With visually appealing photos and dishes both delicious and satisfying, its user-friendly interface and easy-to-follow instructions will make it easy to go green(er). (P.S. There’s also a Healthy Desserts app, featuring recipes with a focus on whole grains, fresh fruit, and natural sweeteners.)